Cleaning up after the rains

Locally, over a six-day period (Jan. 18 – 23), wind and rain caused flooded roads, fallen trees, a sink hole and a few power outages. A flash flood watch was issued more than once between Friday, Jan. 20 and Monday, Jan. 23 for the entire county due to periods of heavy rainfall.

In the 48-hour period ending at 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23, top rainfall amounts recorded around the county were 6.19 inches on Palomar Mountain; 4.42 in De Luz; 3.71 in Rainbow; 2.79 in Fallbrook, and 2.75 on Camp Pendleton, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Considering that the average rainfall for January in this area is around three inches, storm-related damage was not unexpected. In the six-day period ending about 4 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, according to the NWS, the storms dropped 5.83 inches in Fallbrook; 6.15 inches in Bonsall, 7.17 inches in Rainbow; and 6.07 inches at Camp Pendleton.

The day before, Jan. 23, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for most of the state due to the tens of millions of dollars in damage caused by the powerful storms. Besides San Diego County, his proclamation also covered 49 of California's 57 other counties.

The showers were forecasted to end by Tuesday night, Jan. 24, leaving area residents with the task of cleaning up their yards, and the inside of a some homes. At least one house was flooded with mud when a clogged storm drain overflowed on La Canada Road off of South Mission, on Friday, Jan. 20.

The storm drains along Los Padres Dr. also clogged up and overflowed after the storm on Jan. 20, flooding the street and the Pala Mesa Fairway Villas community pool.

On Jan. 23, the CHP reported a road closure at East Alvarado and Live Oak Park Road due to a sinkhole that opened up there the night before. The sinkhole was first reported at 7:21 p.m. on Jan. 22, and a CHP unit was sent out to block the road so no one could fall into the hole. CHP changed the area's designation from Traffic Hazard to Closure of road at 11:04 p.m. A road crew was still working on repairing the damage as of Jan. 24.

According to the CHP, there were numerous road closures from De Luz to Bonsall and Pala to Fallbrook. Bonsall schools were closed Monday, Jan. 23 due to the weather.

On Jan. 20, the Public Safety Group with the County of San Diego sent out word that San Diego County residents experiencing significant damage to their homes or businesses are requested to report it to the County Office of Emergency Services online: www.sdcountyrecovery.com/damages-resulting-from-disaster.

By completing this form, residents will be assisting the county in collecting damage information and associated costs with the series of winter storms moving through the area. Compiling total costs throughout the county will assist local governments in determining whether county might qualify for state or federal disaster recovery assistance. They warned that completing the form is not a guarantee of any assistance.

Because Fallbrook and the surrounding communities are unincorporated, maintenance of roads is the responsibility of the county. If residents notice any road-related issues such as potholes, cracks, damaged or missing signs, trash, graffiti or clogged storm drains, they can call the county Dept. of Public Works at (877) 684-8000 or go online to www.sandiegocounty.gov/dpw/roads/maintroad.html to report the problem.